WILLIAMSBURG, VA (WTKR)- Barry Morrison arrived at Bruton to take over a program that was at a low point in its history.
Leading up to the 2021 campaign, the Panthers had lost 21 straight games. That did not phase the new lead cat.
"If you can build from rock zero, you build these kids up," Morrison said. "The numbers are growing, as you can see, and we got better."
It would not take long to see some results. Bruton snapped its skid in Morrison's first game at the head of the program, topping Northampton, 32-28, to open the 2021 season. The Panthers would top Acadia later in the campaign, 50-8, grabbing two victories to show that a turnaround was in progress.
One of the players he relied on was one he couldn't have predicted. Now a senior, Emily Tassara is entering her fifth year as part of the Bruton program.
"I had never even seen a female play football before," the head coach chuckled.
Tassara grew up loving what she saw on the football field and longed for the chance to hit the gridiron herself.
"Being able to hit, it's a great place to take out your anger and everything," she laughed. "I kept asking my parents and then finally in eighth grade, they let me play."
She jumped right in. From the first hit, she knew being on the field was her calling. Now she suits up for the Panthers at a handful of positions, including wide receiver, defensive back and kicker.
"I just feel like I belong out there and it's a place I want to be at," Tassara said.
"Just seeing her toughness, sticking through the tough years and playing a man's game and she's a girl and she's not a slouch," Morrison pointed out.
Emily's toughness is squarely on display on the football field, but that's not where it stops. When she's not showing off her skills between the white lines, you can find the senior at the James City-Bruton fire station, where she's been volunteering as a firefighter for more than a year.
"Out of nowhere I was like 'I need to figure out my plan for life,'" she recalled. "My mom was like 'what about a firefighter?' I was like 'that sounds interesting,' so I decided to volunteer."
That's no easy task, requires a lot of work, training and instincts. Where some see daunting responsibility, Emily sees normalcy.
"When you're at the station and there's a call, you just hop on the brig and go," she noted.
"She's tougher than me," Morrison added. "I coach and she comes from firefighting to practice and she doesn't miss an offseason lift, she doesn't miss a practice and she comes right from work, working long shifts."
Emily knows there are plenty of people who will she that she's a female and will doubt her abilities. That does not discourage her.
"You just keep pushing," she said. "You prove them wrong. You hit them harder next time."
And she looks to prove that point during every single practice.
"Everybody deserves a spot on the football field," Emily noted. "It's not just for the boys."
Bruton kicks off its season on August 26 when the Panthers travel to Northampton.
